While suspicion of financial crisis, marital trouble, and other theories of causation have circulated the web, the primary one that has received attention is the mental illness Kate was suffering from: the silent monster we know as depression.

“Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years,” her husband, Andy Spade, released in a statement to PEOPLE. “It was a complete shock. And it clearly wasn’t her. There were personal demons she was battling.”

Yes, the bubbly designer known for her whimsically bright designs was fighting internal battles darker than most of us could ever fathom. But unlike cancer, you can’t see always see depression. You can’t touch anxiety.

So often, it’s not taken seriously, or it’s brushed off as “sadness” or “stress,” so you should just “get happy” and “chill out.”

It’s no secret that mental health has a stigma surrounding it that NEEDS to be broken, and one Kate Spade fan, Claudia Herrera, took to Facebook to share a message surrounding that stigma that is a wake-up call the world needs to hear.

Read her post in full below, and be sure to share Claudia’s important message with your friends on Facebook:

“My laptop bag is Kate Spade. My wallet is Kate Spade. The adorable cactus charm is Kate Spade. The purse my daughter carries is Kate Spade; I just got her a new one a couple of weeks ago, in fact. The phone I’m holding in my hand as I type this has a Kate Spade case.

Yet I had no idea this amazingly talented and creative woman suffered from depression. I know she went to ASU, which we just toured last week. I know that’s where she met her husband, who she left behind today along with her daughter. I know her brand story. Yet I didn’t know she suffered from depression.

Why is it any of my business or yours to know? It doesn’t have to be, of course.

But I knew when Patrick Swayze was battling pancreatic cancer. I know that Cynthia Nixon is a breast cancer survivor. I know that Selena Gomez has lupus and recently had a kidney transplant. I know that Dave Letterman suffers from heart disease. I know that Lance Armstrong is a testicular cancer survivor.

But I didn’t know that Kate Spade suffered from depression.
Or that Robin Williams did.
Because somehow society has made it more acceptable to talk about breasts and testicles than about the mind and the chemicals and hormones it releases and controls and the messages it relays.

Until depression is seen as an ILLNESS and not a condition that can be “cured” by being brushed off with a “try to be happy” or “just look at the bright side of life; you have so much to be happy about.”

Until anxiety is seen as an ILLNESS and not a condition that can be “cured” by being brushed off with a “just don’t be afraid of ____” or “get over it, freak.”

Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, etc. feed your mind the wrong messages. They tell you to be afraid of things you know you shouldn’t be afraid of. They tell you that you aren’t good enough and don’t deserve to be alive and that things won’t get better. They tell you that everyone is out to get you, that everyone is looking at you, that everyone is judging you.

And sadly, the last sentence comes with truth. People do judge those with mental illness. Yet would you judge someone with cancer? Heart disease? Immune disorders? A tumor?

Would you tell them to just “get over it?” As though people suffering from mental ILLNESS could somehow just wish it away? Don’t you think they would if they could?!

Until the stigma is removed from mental illness … until society truly, authentically accepts it as an illness … those suffering from these illnesses will continue to hide their condition.

In some cases they will self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.

In some cases, like an old friend when we were in our early 20s, they’ll jump off a cliff in LA.

In some cases, they’ll hang themselves from a red scarf from their bedroom door in their gorgeous New York City apartment.

Depression is a monster. And if you don’t start realizing that mental illness is an illness and not joke fodder … if you don’t respond with love and compassion when someone does open up to you about it … if you know someone with these illnesses and make them feel they are weak because of them … you might want to ask yourself if maybe you are too.

Kelsey is an editor at Outreach. She’s passionate about fear fighting, freedom writing, and the pursuit of excellence in the name of crucifying perfectionism. Glitter is her favorite color, 2nd only to pink, and 3rd only to pink glitter.